The Ministry of Internal Affairs investigation is yet to start a probe into illegal holders of diplomatic passports; these include Rugiirwa Katatumba’s alleged possession of the same passport.
As pressure mounts on the Ministry, the public awaits clarity on how an ordinary citizen might have obtained such a high-rank and restricted document.
The ministry has occasionally denied issuing a diplomatic passport to Mr Rugiirwa Katatumba, son of the late Honorary Consul of Pakistan, Boney Katatumba, following a viral social media photo of him carrying this high-rank document.
The Ministry’s Public Relations Officer, Simon Mundeyi earlier addressed the growing public outcry during a press conference held at the Police Headquarters in Naguru on Monday, emphasizing the strict eligibility criteria for obtaining a diplomatic passport.
“There was a public outcry recently after a social media post by Mr Rugiirwa Katatumba claiming to hold a diplomatic passport. The post went viral, and many of you contacted me for comments,” Mundeyi said.
He added, “We want to assure the public that we have never issued a diplomatic passport to Mr. Rugiirwa Katatumba. He has been summoned to explain whose passport he displayed on social media because it was not issued by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.”
The Ministry went ahead and shared specific details about Mr Katatumba’s passport history, noting he applied for an ordinary passport on April 10, 2021, and collected it from the Ministry’s Passport Center in Kyambogo on November 22, 2021.
Mundeyi said, “His current passport, which was issued in 2021, is valid until October 15, 2031, and it is the only passport we have on record for him,” Mundeyi explained.
The lost passport Mr. Katatumba replaced in 2021 was also an ordinary passport with no diplomatic status, as he has never held any position that would qualify him for a diplomatic passport.
The Ministry used the occasion outline to provide a detailed explanation of who is entitled to a diplomatic passport, which is red and highly restricted. According to the Ministry, diplomatic passports are issued only to individuals holding the highest offices in Uganda, including:
“To get a diplomatic passport, you must meet the legal qualifications. Diplomatic passports are reserved for top government officials and diplomats. This is a serious matter, and the public must understand that it’s not easy to obtain one,” he stressed.
“The Ministry of Internal Affairs can only have the powers to issue a service passport, ladies and gentlemen, not the diplomatic passport and any other person as the Minister of Internal Affairs may authorize,” he said.
The ordinary passport, which is blue in colour, is available to all Ugandan citizens and is meant for personal travel.
He added, “It is the most common passport, issued to every eligible Ugandan citizen for travel abroad, it is blue in colour, electronic in nature, and it costs Shs250,000 The service passport costs Shs400,000 and the diplomatic passport costs Shs500,000 only.”
He further explained that obtaining an ordinary passport requires a valid national ID or national identification number (NIN), highlighting that even if one loses the physical ID card, knowing the NIN is sufficient to apply for a passport. The system, integrated with the National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA), ensures that the identification process is seamless.
However, Mundeyi emphasized that the Ministry follows strict regulations when issuing passports, particularly diplomatic passports, which are reserved for specific individuals.
He noted, “The public should be rest assured that we do not simply issue diplomatic passports. Only those who qualify under the law can receive them.”
